STATE PAPERS. 
of separating the King from the 
nation, and of representing a war 
against the French people, as suc- 
cours granted to his ally. The 
Emperor’s answer augmented the 
distrust which this combination of 
circumstances rendered so natural. 
In it he repeated the absurd char- 
ges against the assembly of the re- 
presentatives of the French people, 
against the popular societies esta- 
blished in our cities, with which 
the partizans of the French minis- 
try had long wearied the counter- 
revolution presses. He made pro- 
testations of his desire to continue 
the ally of the King; and he had 
just signed a new league against 
France in favour of the authority of 
the King of the French. 
These leagues, these treaties, the 
intrigues of the emigrants, who 
had solicited them in the name of 
the King, had been concealed by 
the ministers from the representa- 
tives of the people. No public 
disavowal of these intrigues, no ef- 
fort to prevent or dissolve this con- 
spiracy of monarchs, had shewn 
either to the citizens of France, or 
the nations of Europe, that the 
King had sincerely united his own 
cause to that of the nation. 
This apparent connivance be- 
tween the cabinet of the Thuilleries 
and that of Vienna struck every 
mind; the National Assembly 
thought it their duty to examine 
with vigour the conduct of the 
minister for foreign affairs; and a 
_ decree of accusation was the result 
_ of this examination. His colleagues 
disappeared with him, and the 
King’s council was formed of pa- 
triot ministers, 
The successor of Leopold follow- 
ed the course of his father. He 
thought proper to require for the 
265 
princes formerly possessing fiefs in 
Alsace, indemnifications incompa- 
tible with the French constitution, 
and derogatory to the independ- 
ence of the nation. He wanted 
France to betray the confidence 
and violate the rights of the people 
of Avignon. At length he an- 
nounced other causes of complaint, 
which could not, he said, be dis- 
cussed before having tried the force 
of arms. 
The King seemed to feel that 
this provocation to war could not 
be borne patiently without betray- 
ing a shameful weakness; he seem- 
ed to feel how perfidious was this 
language of an enemy who pre- 
tended to take an interest in his 
fate, and to desire his alliance, for 
no purpose but to sow seeds of dis- 
cord between him and his people, 
calculated to enervate our forces, 
and to stop or disconcert their mo- 
tions; he proposed war by the una- 
nimous advice of his council, and 
war was decreed. 
By protecting the assemblages of 
the emigrants, by permitting them 
to menace our frontiers, by shewing 
troops in readiness to second them 
on the first success, by preparing a 
retreat for them, by persisting in a 
threatening league, the King of 
Hungary obliged France to make 
preparations of defence ruinous in 
their expence, exhausted her finan- 
ces, encouraged the audacity of the 
conspirators dispersed through the 
departments, excited uneasiness 
among the citizens, and thus fo- 
mented in them and perpetuated 
trouble. Never did hostilities more 
really justify war; and to declare 
was only to repel it. 
The National Assembly were 
then able to judge to what degree, 
notwithstanding promises so often 
repeated, 
